I remember as a kid being really confused by how the Gross sisters were depicted. Innocently I didn't even associate them to Black people. When I learned the reason behind their skin color I was stunned devastated.
@@Dorafran86 ashy is just a way to describe someone who doesn’t wear lotion on their black skin. Our skin gets very dry. If you’re dark enough, you can look “blue”. I believe it’s also implied that the gross sisters are too poor to afford lotion, hence why their blue and ashy. As a black kid growing up I legit didn’t know this, till I looked at my own unlotioned skin lol
I did a whole essay on this in college. I mean come on they named the sisters the GROSS sisters and they were so black they were blue? They didn't even tried to hide their anti-blackness
They were blue because their skin was too rough bc they do not use lotions 💀. There’s even an episode where Papi recommends them to use lotion and another one where Penny turns blue bc she was too busy being a bully to use lotions.
As an African American dark skinned black woman this bores a deep hole in my chest especially in our community because we are all of the same race it hurts like it really hurts like shit. 😭I am beautiful and unique and I thank God for that.
@@juiceoverflow 1) no one knows what shade of color his skin was or what he actually looked like. 2) he was more than likely a dark tan Vivien the geographical location he was born in (I was like 10 when I came up with conclusion) 3) he would accept you and everyone else for who you are as a person, all the good & bad 4) only reason he is depicted as white, becuse King James was a narisis and wanted Jesus to look like him, talk about a narisis
It's also important to mention how Lacienega's grandfather, Papi treats Sugar Mama, he constantly insults her and laughs it off. There's even an episode where Sugar Mama speaks perfect Spanish which throws Papi off. Lots of people have speculated that Sugar Mama knows everything he's saying but just doesn't care. This trope of laughing at a black women's features and problems is common and normalized in media. So much so that whenever people speak out about it, it gets backlash (ex: the Will Smith slap). It's very strange that it's normalized. Not to mention, Sugar Mama is written as a both a Sapphire and Mammy trope, there are scenes where she gets extreme amounts of strength to beat up Oscar and or pick up furniture and other heavy items. She's also a point of reference that uplifts the lighter skinned characters (ex: Penny and her mom) that she rarely has character development herself. However, I am welcome to hear discussion about the mammy traits of her character because Sugar Mama acts similar to the Sapphire trope with her tough love aspect.
I completely agree. As a Latina myself I’m grossed out by the way Proud Family portrays people who are Latino examples being how LaCienega is a homophobic brat and how her cousin was a hater. Who hurt the writers honestly? Bet you it was a Latino
I agree, but i think the will smith thing is different. Rock wasnt explicitly making fun of her black features, not even her alopecia, merely the fact that she doesnt have hair. Moreover he is a comedian and it is understandable
how is she a refrence to "uplift" penny or trudy? don't just say it and not give an example.. i'd also like to know what papi said towards suga mama that was that was targeted towards her 'black features'.. because i'm sure he mostly made fun or her for being old and overweight. i guess being old and fat are black features lmfao.
You also forgot to point out how we are meant to empathize with Penny and how dijonay is actually penny's worst friend. Dijonay constantly betrays Penny and is her only black female friend in her main group.
Miguel Alverez The writer's didn't have to typecast the darkest girl in the group as the worst friend either, Lacienega or Chloe could've easily been depicted as the mean lousy friend. They chose D',jonay on purpose. That's why i never let my kids watch this show. They're grown now, they can do whatever they want.
When the topic of the LGBTQ+ representation was in the new show, and the criticism about why us it so hard to pair a black character without them being with a white character, I immediately thought of Bojack Horseman. It was so refreshing to see a black lesbian couple in a healthy functional relationship, and how they were 3 Dimensional and their roles important to the story of the episode they were in.
Thank you for the video, I didn’t grew up on the show but I did see video and I have watched the show on Disney+ . The darkerskins are the butt of the joke especially Oscar and dijionay .
@@TonyTurner I agree. Dijionay’s character is stereotypical but Oscar is the stereotypical “uneducated broke black dad” and it’s a shame they’ll never write a black man to be successful or an admirable father figure.
I never really watched the show as a kid, but I've seen a little bit of the reboot and the thing that strikes me is how just like... no one really seems to like each other? Why is Penny friends with anyone in her group? It certainly doesn't seem like she really likes them and her friends don't see to like her, or each other. Oscar comes off so incredibly annoying, the overprotective father trope isn't really funny anymore, it's just annoying. Why does he hate Sugar Mama? Why does Sugar Mama hate Oscar? I assumed this whole time that Sugar Mama was Oscar's mother in law so I was like okay so that's the joke. But no apparently Sugar Mama is OSCAR'S mom?? huh?? Like I just don't get why anyone in this show wants to be around each other.
Yeah the reboot was lacking more emotions, the proud family didn't feel like a family. It was missing momentsm for example I like episode 3 because of the talk btwn Kareem and Penny in the basketball court. The reboot needed more moments like that such as Maya apologizing for how she treated Penny. If she done that, majority of fans wouldn't dislike her character so much
I can answer your questions. The show is supposed to represent how a lot of people grow up with terrible friend groups because they didn't want to be alone. But instead of teaching people that its okay to drop people who demage your mental health, the show has been doing the opposite since the original. Oscar hates Suga Mama because he spent his whole childhood watching her shower his brother Bobby with love and attention while she called him a failure. Now Suga Mama is living in his house and mooching off of him despite having her own place. On the other side, Suga Mama hates Oscar because shes continuing what her dad did to her growing up which was playing favourites. Honestly I feel sorry for Oscar. He has to see his childhood abuser every day, and he's stuck being married to a woman who refuses to let anybody cut off a relationship even if her own daughter is crying her eyes out.
@@chachingmel8034 oooooh this was deep. Yea I enjoyed this show as a kid but looking at it through my adult eyes it’s actually super mean spirited. Penny’s friends are awful especially Dijonay. Honestly she would’ve been better off being friends with the Gross Sisters & Myron but treated them like crap because her “friend” group treated them badly. I realize the Gross sisters were “bullies” but they actually were a bit more supportive to Penny than any other character if that makes sense
I would point out that whether or not Oscar is being painted as less than because of his skin color is murky at best. It’s a long standing trope in American sitcoms that the father is dumber than the mother and usually not as put together. Also, are the boulevardez black? That was always ambiguous to me. Also interesting to note that while the lightest girls are indeed the most beautiful, the only white girl in the show is not. She’s decidedly geeky and awkward.
The Boulevardez family is a Latin family but I don't know what their exact ethnicity is? I always assumed they were of Mexican decent but that was always an assumption, so I could be waaaaaay wrong.
Hmmm...Latina is not a race and Afrolatinas exist(who are fully Black with little to no other ancestry). That being said the Boulevardezes aren't Afrolatine. They're mestiza/indigenous.
@@imthebossmermaid3648exactly i'm latino myself and I can tell that you can be afro and also latino, white and aaalso latino, asian and also latino, etc. Latin america is really reaaaallyyy diverse
Dijonay is actually Creole, from Louisiana, which may mean that her hair color may be natural as my relative has naturally blonde hair, looks more white, but is a natural blonde. My relative is creole
Amazing video!!!! This was such a deep dive. Even as a fan of the show back then and even the new reboot, I see these issues and even in real life. Dijonay and Oscar are done the WORST from the writing team. They still have some more episodes to go, so I'm hoping they address it soon enough.
From what I've heard about the reboot it appears the writers just ignored all of these criticisms. Hopefully better animated shows written by black people will increase and we can all forget this show.
I mean at the end of the day it’s no one’s decision except the creators and no matter how a black show is made ppl are going to bitch about something. They can’t just let black ppl be.
@reed Jack I mean....a a person that is a professional arist in the animation industry I kinda agree with you. The higher ups definately dont give a sheeet all they cacre about is the money. But there are some writers and artists that do care but at the end of the day what they want doesnt matter unless they got connections.
@reed Jack that's fine. They don't have to listen to anyone. I just know this show will become irrelevant the moment more animation by Black people is made that doesn't embrace the shittest stereotypes.
Neither did I. As an empathetic child, I always noticed and liked people based on how the characters ACTED, not their looks! I never liked LaCienica, Dijonay or others that came on strong, or belittled and bullied the main characters. I may not have known about Colorism as a kid, but I never chose to like characters based on their color, but their personality! I love the tv series Static Shock because the characters are funny, and they put a metahuman twist upon real life situations and good ways to learn about them. Plus, I enjoyed Maniac McGee as a kid! ^^
11:01 Heck, there was another example where Stinky mistook the Gross Sisters for extinct species of human like Neanderthal when Penny and him were in a museum and the Gross Sisters were just standing in an exhibit. I think Olay was called a Neanderthal by Stinky and Neanderthals are usually portrayed as large, hairy and dumb brutes that hunt with spears. Why did Prouder and Louder make Dijonay more overweight but still have her be boy-crazy? How come we never got an episode focusing solely on her and home life with her, her parents and her ten siblings? Why couldn't Maya, the new character basically be an overweight black girl instead of a skinny tween like Penny, Zoey, and LaCienega? Granted, Zoey is kinda seen as ugly because she wears glasses, has braces and has the figure of a scarecrow. How come Penny, Maya and LaCienega seen as more desirable compared to Zoey just because they have more of an "hour glass" figure compared to Zoey who is usually seen as a toothpick character. Granted, Zoey is white. I also didn't know that the Prouds were Republican.
I would love it if they introduced a plus-sized, darkskin Black girl who was cute and not a bad character, or whom other teens were attracted to. Maybe she and Penny could be friends instead of her and Dijonay, also she could be Afrolatina.
I think this series is like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Very important and groundbreaking at the time of release, but problematic if it came out today. Which in a way it is because of the reboot
@@atomic747 And I think that if people are being affected by these things (colorism) they deserve to be taken seriously. Just because they don't affect you, doesn't mean they don't matter.
How Is Penny's mom a veterinarian and her dad an entrepreneur, but lacienagas family has higher class status with her mom being a simple police officer???
Penny's hair seems less straightened and more like you took an afro and tried to turn it into one of those European braids by how the balls seem to puff.
I laugh whenever she says that a character has a small nose 😂😂😂 those nosesbaint small. I agree with the Colorism part but I'd say the noses is one of the things they got right. They're not small. They big and wide as they should be.
I wished more of my past favourites Disney Series like Gummie Bears, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, Wuzzles, Darkwing Duck, Mighty Ducks, House of Mouse, Kim Possible, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules and American Dragon Jake Long are finally released onto complete DVD collection just like the original Prod Family Series because they deserved to released onto complete DVD at last.
A lot of these statements work for the main characters but not for the wider cast. For example Dr. Pain does well for himself. The richest man is black. Theres a white janitor. Sugar mama was depicted as beautiful when young. The whitest character Zoey isn't considered the best, Dijonay dates a hot guy Duke... There's examples to counter most of these statements, but these statements are valid nonetheless. Also the noses are all the same. And yes there's toxic character designs in the Proud Family
None of these statements are valid. Y'all just hate any characterization of a black person that isn't "positive." And then y'all pick and choose. So hypocritical.
so you're saying the characters with so called "white features" are deemed as more desirable and attractive.. but you don't reference the actual white character aka zoey.. i'm guessing because it diminishes your point that euro features are framed as more "desirable" in the show. not to mention dijonay has blonde straight hair, meanwhile pennys hair is curly. also, the gross sisters are blue because they're ashy.. not "blue black". penny even turns ashy blue in an episode when she starts hanging out with them.
Exactly I Prefer someone who have seen the proud family from the old episodes to do this commentary some of the stuff she is saying is a little off and she didn’t even province Dijonay name right it’s Deee Jah Nayyyyy also she has blonde hair not because she wants to be white but black girls where dying they here that color back in High school and Jr .High 🤦🏾♀️
I remember watching this show for a bit as a kid and not fully understanding it as I'm not american there were things I was confused about especially the blue kids I just saw them casually having a smurf skintone and didn't know why but overall the interactions between the characters tended to be negative and didn't find that very enjoyable
they say that the reason their skin was blue was because they were so ashy, which is weird since they can use cream. They did give one of the gross sisters a make over but it didn't stick
I never saw the Gross sisters as "ugly." Especially not in the reboot where they are more stylized. Why? I know the reason "why" their skin is blue, but because they are still depicted as blue (their clothes and hair included, how is hair "ashy?"), then they just look more interesting to me. Some people even pointed out they may be "low key "Crippin'" because of all the blue, but that may be a stretch. That, and they don't look "generic." The thing about making characters too generic and safe is that they look boring. That's why I tend to like villainy, "goofy", or "bad people" designs in fiction, because people put more work and emphasis on them to "other" them so much. They are given more expressions, so they turn out looking more in-depth in contrast next to the yawn-fest main characters. But that's just me. Dijonay I always thought looked interesting, because of her hair shape and the dark skin and blonde-haired contrast, and yes, I think she's a natural blonde, and going by her "culture day" get up, she may come from mixed (French?) ancestry. Plus some of her own sisters have other hair colors like red, cherry red, and light brown, and they're younger, and the family seems to be on a budget and Dijonay takes extra portions of food to take home because of this, so I don't think they have dyed hair or the budget to regularly dye every other kid's hair a different color on the regular. Penny and Lacienega look pretty much the same as far as proportions go, but Zoey was rail-thin and kind of gangly while Dijonay was chubbier and more stout. At least the kid-cast in general had different body-type diversity vs the copy-paste molds like say, Winx club or something. Dijonay never seemed to want to wear clothes that fit her which I found weird. Was it because she was from a large family on a limited income, and just got hand-me-downs or had to share clothes? Though how she acts is kind of wtf, especially since she is supposed to be Penny's best friend. Speaking of socioeconomic class, Trudy is also from a very well-off family and she has lighter skin as well but has a dark-skinned and cultured sister who Oscar's brother has a crush on. Penny's skin tone was also darkened in later seasons. Yes, The Proud Family has a colorist problem, and it's not just a few spells, it's throughout the series over and over. But if you look to what generation the creator grew up in and if he was affected by colorist views or not, (most likely yes), it may make more sense.
@@aaroncohoon5603 It is supposed to be dry skin, but then again, ashy or not, a human being is never going to look gem-stone blue, or any other kind of blue shade unless you have cyanosis or Argyria conditions (Which I have seen irl btw)
Before I say what I’m about to say, I want everyone reading this to know that I am a white girl: I think the fact that the darker colored people are poorer could be a reference to social and racial class injustice
I was almost thinking the same thing. It's seemingly hard to find a balance in good representation for people of color. In reality (despite also being a white girl, so I am aware there may be some bias I need to work on), it seems like there's no universally "good" way to show representation due to how complex it really is in real life. I find that there is an incredibly wide variety of ways in which people of color might prefer to present or represent themselves and their identities. Because of that, there's truly no "one" way to capture it all perfectly.
This feels VERY onesided and hyperfixated on the fact that the Proud Family has a primarilly black cast. No mention on how Oscar's character also is a prime example of the stereotypical sitcom Dad, the fact that the Boulevardez are HISPANIC not black, that Trudy is likely biracial (Like how theres no mention of her straigtening her hair EVER in the series that I remember, she very much looks it, and Penny's hair is in fact curly, not straightened. Bebe's is wildly curly too). The fact that these issues exist in a show set in what is meant to be real life isn't blatant racism, it's good writing. Sometimes, yes, it's taken too far but you can't just decide 'hey lets make a slice of life style show with a primarily POC cast' and NOT weave reality into the worldbuilding especially when a lot of the issues used as plot points in the show actually address them. Doing anything else would be fake AF. You can't make every single black family in a show set in the USA in the same tax bracket as Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv from Fresh Prince because it's NOT realistic by a long shot. And Fresh Prince DID address racial issues, including the ones stemming from the stereotype that all black families are like Dijonay's. Anyway, point is that as good as it is to have these conversations, it's annoying that instead this feels like an opinion peice rather than an actual holistic discussion, because the issue of colorism in media, especially works MEANT to be an allegory of real life, isn't a black and white issue.
The way they portray many POC is quite bad. I get that Boulevardez is the mean girl but that’s the only hispanic representation other than her mom and even her mom is just the women raising her husband along with Trudy. Papi is literally the fear of most of everyone who doesn’t speak Spanish who insults people who can’t speak English thinking they are bad mouthing them. Even in the reboot the “friends” are still trash just that now we have token gay friend and token “social aware” girl. They still have to actually change the criticism of the show and still feel really sexist and stereotypical with how they treat oscar and write him along with Trudy and even penny. Even suga mama is still badly written
the thing is, though, is that the show, rather than recognizing that these issues in a productive way (i.e. speaking as to why they're bad), instead chose to play into these ideas and instead present them as a non-issue. for instance, colorism does happen in real life, but rather than showing that it's a shallow and awful way of thinking, the show instead chose to present colorism as acceptable and even correct to believe in, such as making all of the dark-skinned characters negative caricatures, and so on. the proud family chose to engage and confirm stereotypes rather than teach people why this mentality is bad
I thought D'Jonay was the most realistic person on the show. She was the oldest of a really big family and most (if not all) of her siblings shared a room with her. That would make me angry too. And Sticky could have been nicer to her.
@@heyimgalaxy But how come when Dijonay got a new BF all of a sudden Sticky wanted her back? That's weird. Not that it justifies Dijonay's persistence and lack of respect for consent but it's something to point out.
Maybe the show is trying to point out the issues in black and brown communities by having these character visually conform/embody a stereotype. All of Penny's friends including herself in louder and prouder aren't that great but they have to work it out between them for the sake of friendship, family and community in the end? The only way I can arrive at this suggestion is because the new character Maya is a fake woketavist, like why didn't they just make her an actual good person? Why are the focusing on the negative? Then it hit me.
What stands out to me is the fact that our community has all of these characters. I will also admit that going overboard with the "blue black", or "blurple" colors used to make The Gross sisters is terrible! I'm learning to not be embarrassed when I see the unapologetic effort on our people's part to portray every single attribute of the characters to provide the basis Like most things that need to be addressed in our community. People like the lady narrating this video, and myself want to see improvement enhancing positivity in the characters of immature entertainment . The PEOPLE WHO NEED TO SEE THIS, BE AWARE OF, ACCEPT AND CHANGE these perceptions WON'T WATCH. They won't be offended in the least, and in fact be "proud" (No pun intended) to see a version of themselves on screen. Sometimes I wonder where "SHAME" went in our people's moral compass? To be PROUD in all matters of representing our families. One thing that we can't do is fail to recognize when we're being made fun of, but in turn we must! WE MUST continue to provide better role models, something that we've never stopped being. Realizing that every chance we're being mimicked, and copied in all our actions by the little ones. GOD BLESSIT! LOVE UA, PEACE!!!
If I'm going to compare The Proud Family to any Nickelodeon Cartoons? They would have to be Invader Zim and Rocket Power. Those two cartoons brought up certain issues without too much preaching to the audiences at the time like it was trying to cater or pander to something. They just went with the usual slap stick humor and juvenile zeitgeist that was stereotyped in the kids at the time. Rocket Power just had multi-cultured kids hanging out with each other (learning lessons) because all the "going to the mall shows" were taken up, and Invader Zims' whole premise was kind of showing the dangers of treating a feud between young people as a joke.
I know you have a valid reason to be paranoid but has it ocured to you that p.o.c People are not living breathing steriotipes and they can look any way? And just because someones Main character has softer futures that doesn't make them a colorist or a racist? It just means the characters came out that way because that is how the creators imagined them, because p.o.c people can and will have softer futures sometimes
I knew the show was colourist even as a child that's how obvious it was yet again Colourism is a huge problem in my country so it would be dumb of me not to realize
Why do you call it colorism isn’t colorism and racism just the same thing? I googled it and the definition kind of sounds same as racism, so I’m confused.
No. She is saying that it's bad to tech this to children that dark skin and afro features are bad. Sorry that the video hurt you enough to feel the need to make this comment.
@@DionaTune hurt me? It's hysterical! Everyone is ok with cartoon characters either way because they are just drawings. Homer Simpson has a big beer belly, is fairly stupid and is not the ideal father. He's white trash. I don't know any white dads that feel victimized by that. There's a million types of characters on the TV but they are all just drawings made animated. I can get a general idea of what she's saying, but just like everyone else if you feel offended turn it off. Most programs these days are garbage and full of some type of indoctrination and serve no entertainment purposes at all. And nobody should let them be a reflection of their own self worth. Tired of our society acting so weak and sensitive and having to react to every little thing. The white character is the ugliest but again it's a cartoon. I think most people these days are snowflakes, grown up children always crying out "that's not fair, why do we get treated this way, I feel insulted," etc. Time to grow up and take pride in ourselves!
Sure! This is a positionally statement where I intend to make clear my identity and positionally in relation to the text (The Proud Family), as well as the unceded Indigenous lands I live on. By saying “white,” I am making clear that I am a White person, which I thought important to distinguish given that The Proud Family is very much a Black show. By saying “settler,” I am acknowledging that the land I live on was occupied without permission; there were never any agreements or treaties that transferred the land from the Indigenous custodians to the colonizers who took the land form them. By saying I am a scholar, I am indicating that I study film and media for a living.
@@criticalhit009 Oh! Thank you so much for breaking this down for me. I've never heard that term before. I appreciate your recognizing the important your racial identity can have on your view of the show. Just like how much was very influential in my viewing of the show. I really like that term. I like how it acknowledges our relationship to the land. So, thanks for that! I learned something new!
It's written by a BLACK MAN😡 That's why is based off a Willy Lynch How To💔 That's why Oscar is ALWAYS seen being " Emasculated" by his Dark Skin Mother and Highly Educated and High paid wife, who light bright with Honey eyes😭 Oscar is a STRUGGLE BUS BANDIT that BLACKISTAN LOVES to call a KANG 😭💔😂😂😂
This the most ill informed post only on here to support a self appointed ideal of someone ego. The definition given are so far disconnected this sounds like someone from the deep south written this who us europeans that trying to hold on to a scholarship at a HBC
I remember as a kid being really confused by how the Gross sisters were depicted. Innocently I didn't even associate them to Black people. When I learned the reason behind their skin color I was stunned devastated.
What was it? Why are they "ashy"?
@@Dorafran86 ashy is just a way to describe someone who doesn’t wear lotion on their black skin. Our skin gets very dry. If you’re dark enough, you can look “blue”. I believe it’s also implied that the gross sisters are too poor to afford lotion, hence why their blue and ashy. As a black kid growing up I legit didn’t know this, till I looked at my own unlotioned skin lol
@@raygab4553 It also implies that Black people are naturally ashy without lotion.
I honestly thought they were zombies.
@@battybuddy IF they were they wouldn't be asking for lunch money they'd be asking for braaaaaaaaains.
I did a whole essay on this in college. I mean come on they named the sisters the GROSS sisters and they were so black they were blue? They didn't even tried to hide their anti-blackness
They were blue because their skin was too rough bc they do not use lotions 💀. There’s even an episode where Papi recommends them to use lotion and another one where Penny turns blue bc she was too busy being a bully to use lotions.
The gross sistere were not so black that they were blue, they are just ASHY lol, the "a-word"
it was bc their skin was dry and ashy
@@masterofthecourt5435 yeah I'm pretty sure each of them was named after a lotion brand too 💀
I actually heard that they were blue because they're ashy
As an African American dark skinned black woman this bores a deep hole in my chest especially in our community because we are all of the same race it hurts like it really hurts like shit. 😭I am beautiful and unique and I thank God for that.
praise black jesus!
@@juiceoverflow
1) no one knows what shade of color his skin was or what he actually looked like.
2) he was more than likely a dark tan Vivien the geographical location he was born in (I was like 10 when I came up with conclusion)
3) he would accept you and everyone else for who you are as a person, all the good & bad
4) only reason he is depicted as white, becuse King James was a narisis and wanted Jesus to look like him, talk about a narisis
It's also important to mention how Lacienega's grandfather, Papi treats Sugar Mama, he constantly insults her and laughs it off. There's even an episode where Sugar Mama speaks perfect Spanish which throws Papi off. Lots of people have speculated that Sugar Mama knows everything he's saying but just doesn't care. This trope of laughing at a black women's features and problems is common and normalized in media. So much so that whenever people speak out about it, it gets backlash (ex: the Will Smith slap). It's very strange that it's normalized. Not to mention, Sugar Mama is written as a both a Sapphire and Mammy trope, there are scenes where she gets extreme amounts of strength to beat up Oscar and or pick up furniture and other heavy items. She's also a point of reference that uplifts the lighter skinned characters (ex: Penny and her mom) that she rarely has character development herself. However, I am welcome to hear discussion about the mammy traits of her character because Sugar Mama acts similar to the Sapphire trope with her tough love aspect.
Wait, wasn't Sugar Mama being fluent in Spanish only canon in the Proud Family movie?
Papi just didn't like Suga Mama cause she was fat. There was an episode where he was attracted to her when she slimmed down
I completely agree. As a Latina myself I’m grossed out by the way Proud Family portrays people who are Latino examples being how LaCienega is a homophobic brat and how her cousin was a hater. Who hurt the writers honestly? Bet you it was a Latino
I agree, but i think the will smith thing is different. Rock wasnt explicitly making fun of her black features, not even her alopecia, merely the fact that she doesnt have hair. Moreover he is a comedian and it is understandable
how is she a refrence to "uplift" penny or trudy? don't just say it and not give an example.. i'd also like to know what papi said towards suga mama that was that was targeted towards her 'black features'.. because i'm sure he mostly made fun or her for being old and overweight. i guess being old and fat are black features lmfao.
You also forgot to point out how we are meant to empathize with Penny and how dijonay is actually penny's worst friend. Dijonay constantly betrays Penny and is her only black female friend in her main group.
@@shippendales8543 I mean sticky didn't betray penny.
Miguel Alverez The writer's didn't have to typecast the darkest girl in the group as the worst friend either, Lacienega or Chloe could've easily been depicted as the mean lousy friend. They chose D',jonay on purpose. That's why i never let my kids watch this show. They're grown now, they can do whatever they want.
@@atomic747 he’s gone in the reboot
@@dcscruz2970 I know, I was talking about the old series.
@@atomic747 Black *female* friend. Sticky is male.
When the topic of the LGBTQ+ representation was in the new show, and the criticism about why us it so hard to pair a black character without them being with a white character, I immediately thought of Bojack Horseman. It was so refreshing to see a black lesbian couple in a healthy functional relationship, and how they were 3 Dimensional and their roles important to the story of the episode they were in.
Thank you for the video, I didn’t grew up on the show but I did see video and I have watched the show on Disney+ . The darkerskins are the butt of the joke especially Oscar and dijionay .
True. People always discuss Dijonay but I think Oscar is done the WORST in the original show and now even in the reboot.
@@TonyTurner I agree. Dijionay’s character is stereotypical but Oscar is the stereotypical “uneducated broke black dad” and it’s a shame they’ll never write a black man to be successful or an admirable father figure.
I never really watched the show as a kid, but I've seen a little bit of the reboot and the thing that strikes me is how just like... no one really seems to like each other? Why is Penny friends with anyone in her group? It certainly doesn't seem like she really likes them and her friends don't see to like her, or each other. Oscar comes off so incredibly annoying, the overprotective father trope isn't really funny anymore, it's just annoying. Why does he hate Sugar Mama? Why does Sugar Mama hate Oscar? I assumed this whole time that Sugar Mama was Oscar's mother in law so I was like okay so that's the joke. But no apparently Sugar Mama is OSCAR'S mom?? huh?? Like I just don't get why anyone in this show wants to be around each other.
Yeah the reboot was lacking more emotions, the proud family didn't feel like a family. It was missing momentsm for example I like episode 3 because of the talk btwn Kareem and Penny in the basketball court. The reboot needed more moments like that such as Maya apologizing for how she treated Penny. If she done that, majority of fans wouldn't dislike her character so much
I can answer your questions. The show is supposed to represent how a lot of people grow up with terrible friend groups because they didn't want to be alone. But instead of teaching people that its okay to drop people who demage your mental health, the show has been doing the opposite since the original.
Oscar hates Suga Mama because he spent his whole childhood watching her shower his brother Bobby with love and attention while she called him a failure. Now Suga Mama is living in his house and mooching off of him despite having her own place.
On the other side, Suga Mama hates Oscar because shes continuing what her dad did to her growing up which was playing favourites.
Honestly I feel sorry for Oscar. He has to see his childhood abuser every day, and he's stuck being married to a woman who refuses to let anybody cut off a relationship even if her own daughter is crying her eyes out.
@@chachingmel8034 oooooh this was deep. Yea I enjoyed this show as a kid but looking at it through my adult eyes it’s actually super mean spirited. Penny’s friends are awful especially Dijonay.
Honestly she would’ve been better off being friends with the Gross Sisters & Myron but treated them like crap because her “friend” group treated them badly. I realize the Gross sisters were “bullies” but they actually were a bit more supportive to Penny than any other character if that makes sense
@@phillinsogood Sticky was one of Penny's better friends. It's too bad that Sticky got written out the reboot because of his voice actor.
@@chachingmel8034 I think they made oscar more of a hypocrite and an ass than before
I would point out that whether or not Oscar is being painted as less than because of his skin color is murky at best. It’s a long standing trope in American sitcoms that the father is dumber than the mother and usually not as put together. Also, are the boulevardez black? That was always ambiguous to me. Also interesting to note that while the lightest girls are indeed the most beautiful, the only white girl in the show is not. She’s decidedly geeky and awkward.
The Boulevardez family is a Latin family but I don't know what their exact ethnicity is? I always assumed they were of Mexican decent but that was always an assumption, so I could be waaaaaay wrong.
I think they are a Hispanic (father) and African American (mother) mixed family.
Hmmm...Latina is not a race and Afrolatinas exist(who are fully Black with little to no other ancestry). That being said the Boulevardezes aren't Afrolatine. They're mestiza/indigenous.
@@imthebossmermaid3648exactly i'm latino myself and I can tell that you can be afro and also latino, white and aaalso latino, asian and also latino, etc. Latin america is really reaaaallyyy diverse
@@madnessshipton4235 Definitely! What race are you, just wondering?
Dijonay is actually Creole, from Louisiana, which may mean that her hair color may be natural as my relative has naturally blonde hair, looks more white, but is a natural blonde. My relative is creole
Oh, wow! I didn't realize that was a thing. Learn something new every day!
Amazing video!!!! This was such a deep dive. Even as a fan of the show back then and even the new reboot, I see these issues and even in real life. Dijonay and Oscar are done the WORST from the writing team. They still have some more episodes to go, so I'm hoping they address it soon enough.
From what I've heard about the reboot it appears the writers just ignored all of these criticisms. Hopefully better animated shows written by black people will increase and we can all forget this show.
LMFAO YOUR NAME IS KHADIJAH JOHNSON I
Wait is your dad white and mum black / arab sorry for laughing it’s just funny with ur surname it’s like oh a white surname and arab name
I mean at the end of the day it’s no one’s decision except the creators and no matter how a black show is made ppl are going to bitch about something. They can’t just let black ppl be.
@reed Jack I mean....a a person that is a professional arist in the animation industry I kinda agree with you. The higher ups definately dont give a sheeet all they cacre about is the money. But there are some writers and artists that do care but at the end of the day what they want doesnt matter unless they got connections.
@reed Jack that's fine. They don't have to listen to anyone. I just know this show will become irrelevant the moment more animation by Black people is made that doesn't embrace the shittest stereotypes.
I'm agree with yours points but they really don't have skinny noses. All the black characters have larges rounds noses.
As a kid I never understood why the Gross sisters were blue. Thought it was weird.
Neither did I. As an empathetic child, I always noticed and liked people based on how the characters ACTED, not their looks! I never liked LaCienica, Dijonay or others that came on strong, or belittled and bullied the main characters. I may not have known about Colorism as a kid, but I never chose to like characters based on their color, but their personality! I love the tv series Static Shock because the characters are funny, and they put a metahuman twist upon real life situations and good ways to learn about them. Plus, I enjoyed Maniac McGee as a kid! ^^
11:01 Heck, there was another example where Stinky mistook the Gross Sisters for extinct species of human like Neanderthal when Penny and him were in a museum and the Gross Sisters were just standing in an exhibit. I think Olay was called a Neanderthal by Stinky and Neanderthals are usually portrayed as large, hairy and dumb brutes that hunt with spears.
Why did Prouder and Louder make Dijonay more overweight but still have her be boy-crazy? How come we never got an episode focusing solely on her and home life with her, her parents and her ten siblings? Why couldn't Maya, the new character basically be an overweight black girl instead of a skinny tween like Penny, Zoey, and LaCienega? Granted, Zoey is kinda seen as ugly because she wears glasses, has braces and has the figure of a scarecrow.
How come Penny, Maya and LaCienega seen as more desirable compared to Zoey just because they have more of an "hour glass" figure compared to Zoey who is usually seen as a toothpick character. Granted, Zoey is white.
I also didn't know that the Prouds were Republican.
I think he called the Gina a pygmy, if my memory is correct.
I would love it if they introduced a plus-sized, darkskin Black girl who was cute and not a bad character, or whom other teens were attracted to. Maybe she and Penny could be friends instead of her and Dijonay, also she could be Afrolatina.
I think this series is like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Very important and groundbreaking at the time of release, but problematic if it came out today. Which in a way it is because of the reboot
I just think people are over thinking everything.
@@atomic747 And I think that if people are being affected by these things (colorism) they deserve to be taken seriously. Just because they don't affect you, doesn't mean they don't matter.
People are really overthinking it
@@bleedingbellybutton9403 intentionlally or not, if the people it affects see it then its probably there
I could've sworn the gross sisters were suppose to be ashy not blue black.
They are.
How Is Penny's mom a veterinarian and her dad an entrepreneur, but lacienagas family has higher class status with her mom being a simple police officer???
What does her dad do?
they are probably more rich because the father is a owner of a construction company.
@@dogevolayot Oh ok. Thanks for clearing that up, I didn't know that.
@@ruthosornio7779 He's the owner of proud snacks
@@oregonrain1056 no the Hispanic girl...but another comment said he owns a construction company and you make $$$$
Penny's hair seems less straightened and more like you took an afro and tried to turn it into one of those European braids by how the balls seem to puff.
I laugh whenever she says that a character has a small nose 😂😂😂 those nosesbaint small. I agree with the Colorism part but I'd say the noses is one of the things they got right. They're not small. They big and wide as they should be.
Proud family is actually really triggering ngl
I wished more of my past favourites Disney Series like Gummie Bears, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, Wuzzles, Darkwing Duck, Mighty Ducks, House of Mouse, Kim Possible, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules and American Dragon Jake Long are finally released onto complete DVD collection just like the original Prod Family Series because they deserved to released onto complete DVD at last.
A lot of these statements work for the main characters but not for the wider cast. For example Dr. Pain does well for himself. The richest man is black. Theres a white janitor. Sugar mama was depicted as beautiful when young. The whitest character Zoey isn't considered the best, Dijonay dates a hot guy Duke... There's examples to counter most of these statements, but these statements are valid nonetheless. Also the noses are all the same. And yes there's toxic character designs in the Proud Family
None of these statements are valid. Y'all just hate any characterization of a black person that isn't "positive." And then y'all pick and choose. So hypocritical.
so you're saying the characters with so called "white features" are deemed as more desirable and attractive.. but you don't reference the actual white character aka zoey.. i'm guessing because it diminishes your point that euro features are framed as more "desirable" in the show. not to mention dijonay has blonde straight hair, meanwhile pennys hair is curly. also, the gross sisters are blue because they're ashy.. not "blue black". penny even turns ashy blue in an episode when she starts hanging out with them.
Exactly I Prefer someone who have seen the proud family from the old episodes to do this commentary some of the stuff she is saying is a little off and she didn’t even province Dijonay name right it’s Deee Jah Nayyyyy also she has blonde hair not because she wants to be white but black girls where dying they here that color back in High school and Jr .High 🤦🏾♀️
That's actually a fair point. Granted, I also don't think Zoey was designed to fit more desireable eurocentric beauty standards
I would love to see the labor strike video too 👌🏾
I remember watching this show for a bit as a kid and not fully understanding it as I'm not american there were things I was confused about especially the blue kids I just saw them casually having a smurf skintone and didn't know why but overall the interactions between the characters tended to be negative and didn't find that very enjoyable
they say that the reason their skin was blue was because they were so ashy, which is weird since they can use cream.
They did give one of the gross sisters a make over but it didn't stick
I never saw the Gross sisters as "ugly." Especially not in the reboot where they are more stylized. Why? I know the reason "why" their skin is blue, but because they are still depicted as blue (their clothes and hair included, how is hair "ashy?"), then they just look more interesting to me. Some people even pointed out they may be "low key "Crippin'" because of all the blue, but that may be a stretch.
That, and they don't look "generic." The thing about making characters too generic and safe is that they look boring. That's why I tend to like villainy, "goofy", or "bad people" designs in fiction, because people put more work and emphasis on them to "other" them so much. They are given more expressions, so they turn out looking more in-depth in contrast next to the yawn-fest main characters. But that's just me. Dijonay I always thought looked interesting, because of her hair shape and the dark skin and blonde-haired contrast, and yes, I think she's a natural blonde, and going by her "culture day" get up, she may come from mixed (French?) ancestry. Plus some of her own sisters have other hair colors like red, cherry red, and light brown, and they're younger, and the family seems to be on a budget and Dijonay takes extra portions of food to take home because of this, so I don't think they have dyed hair or the budget to regularly dye every other kid's hair a different color on the regular.
Penny and Lacienega look pretty much the same as far as proportions go, but Zoey was rail-thin and kind of gangly while Dijonay was chubbier and more stout. At least the kid-cast in general had different body-type diversity vs the copy-paste molds like say, Winx club or something. Dijonay never seemed to want to wear clothes that fit her which I found weird. Was it because she was from a large family on a limited income, and just got hand-me-downs or had to share clothes? Though how she acts is kind of wtf, especially since she is supposed to be Penny's best friend. Speaking of socioeconomic class, Trudy is also from a very well-off family and she has lighter skin as well but has a dark-skinned and cultured sister who Oscar's brother has a crush on. Penny's skin tone was also darkened in later seasons.
Yes, The Proud Family has a colorist problem, and it's not just a few spells, it's throughout the series over and over. But if you look to what generation the creator grew up in and if he was affected by colorist views or not, (most likely yes), it may make more sense.
I thought their skin was blue was they were supposed to be “ashy” lol
@@aaroncohoon5603 It is supposed to be dry skin, but then again, ashy or not, a human being is never going to look gem-stone blue, or any other kind of blue shade unless you have cyanosis or Argyria conditions (Which I have seen irl btw)
Dandruff is ashy hair 😂
@@ADotThaGod Yeah, but it just looks like a roof that got snowed on, but not sapphire blue. XD
This was incredible thank you for sharing this, I never noticed the socio economic implications but it's so alarming after seeing this
Glad you enjoyed it!
Before I say what I’m about to say, I want everyone reading this to know that I am a white girl: I think the fact that the darker colored people are poorer could be a reference to social and racial class injustice
I was almost thinking the same thing. It's seemingly hard to find a balance in good representation for people of color. In reality (despite also being a white girl, so I am aware there may be some bias I need to work on), it seems like there's no universally "good" way to show representation due to how complex it really is in real life. I find that there is an incredibly wide variety of ways in which people of color might prefer to present or represent themselves and their identities. Because of that, there's truly no "one" way to capture it all perfectly.
@@lexyshannon9428 that is beautifully said and I agree with you
@@Bookwormtalksabout thank you!
Such a good video. So random but I noticed that Zoey’s outfits glitched a couple different times lol
Tbh I thought Dijonay was pretty, and I thought the Gross sisters were well blue.
This feels VERY onesided and hyperfixated on the fact that the Proud Family has a primarilly black cast. No mention on how Oscar's character also is a prime example of the stereotypical sitcom Dad, the fact that the Boulevardez are HISPANIC not black, that Trudy is likely biracial (Like how theres no mention of her straigtening her hair EVER in the series that I remember, she very much looks it, and Penny's hair is in fact curly, not straightened. Bebe's is wildly curly too). The fact that these issues exist in a show set in what is meant to be real life isn't blatant racism, it's good writing. Sometimes, yes, it's taken too far but you can't just decide 'hey lets make a slice of life style show with a primarily POC cast' and NOT weave reality into the worldbuilding especially when a lot of the issues used as plot points in the show actually address them. Doing anything else would be fake AF. You can't make every single black family in a show set in the USA in the same tax bracket as Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv from Fresh Prince because it's NOT realistic by a long shot. And Fresh Prince DID address racial issues, including the ones stemming from the stereotype that all black families are like Dijonay's.
Anyway, point is that as good as it is to have these conversations, it's annoying that instead this feels like an opinion peice rather than an actual holistic discussion, because the issue of colorism in media, especially works MEANT to be an allegory of real life, isn't a black and white issue.
The way they portray many POC is quite bad. I get that Boulevardez is the mean girl but that’s the only hispanic representation other than her mom and even her mom is just the women raising her husband along with Trudy. Papi is literally the fear of most of everyone who doesn’t speak Spanish who insults people who can’t speak English thinking they are bad mouthing them. Even in the reboot the “friends” are still trash just that now we have token gay friend and token “social aware” girl. They still have to actually change the criticism of the show and still feel really sexist and stereotypical with how they treat oscar and write him along with Trudy and even penny. Even suga mama is still badly written
the thing is, though, is that the show, rather than recognizing that these issues in a productive way (i.e. speaking as to why they're bad), instead chose to play into these ideas and instead present them as a non-issue. for instance, colorism does happen in real life, but rather than showing that it's a shallow and awful way of thinking, the show instead chose to present colorism as acceptable and even correct to believe in, such as making all of the dark-skinned characters negative caricatures, and so on. the proud family chose to engage and confirm stereotypes rather than teach people why this mentality is bad
Trudy us not Bi racial she is just black she’s light skinned they showed her parents on the old seasons they both are brown skin
Lacienega never got humbled the way I wanted. She was annoying af.
I thought D'Jonay was the most realistic person on the show. She was the oldest of a really big family and most (if not all) of her siblings shared a room with her. That would make me angry too. And Sticky could have been nicer to her.
dijonay was literally harassing sticky 24/7 💀 he was 100% justified
@@heyimgalaxy But how come when Dijonay got a new BF all of a sudden Sticky wanted her back? That's weird. Not that it justifies Dijonay's persistence and lack of respect for consent but it's something to point out.
I feel like this video forgot about Zoey
Maybe the show is trying to point out the issues in black and brown communities by having these character visually conform/embody a stereotype. All of Penny's friends including herself in louder and prouder aren't that great but they have to work it out between them for the sake of friendship, family and community in the end? The only way I can arrive at this suggestion is because the new character Maya is a fake woketavist, like why didn't they just make her an actual good person? Why are the focusing on the negative? Then it hit me.
LaCienega Boulevardez is Mexican, I think
What stands out to me is the fact that our community has all of these characters. I will also admit that going overboard with the "blue black", or "blurple" colors used to make The Gross sisters is terrible! I'm learning to not be embarrassed when I see the unapologetic effort on our people's part to portray every single attribute of the characters to provide the basis Like most things that need to be addressed in our community. People like the lady narrating this video, and myself want to see improvement enhancing positivity in the characters of immature entertainment . The PEOPLE WHO NEED TO SEE THIS, BE AWARE OF, ACCEPT AND CHANGE these perceptions WON'T WATCH. They won't be offended in the least, and in fact be "proud" (No pun intended) to see a version of themselves on screen. Sometimes I wonder where "SHAME" went in our people's moral compass? To be PROUD in all matters of representing our families. One thing that we can't do is fail to recognize when we're being made fun of, but in turn we must! WE MUST continue to provide better role models, something that we've never stopped being. Realizing that every chance we're being mimicked, and copied in all our actions by the little ones. GOD BLESSIT! LOVE UA, PEACE!!!
As a kid...I couldn't tell if Trudy was black...sorry.
I thought Penny was mixed. African American father, with a Hispanic mother.
the gross sisters were ashy
Right. We could not truly know if they were light or dark skinned because of the ash.
Penny even turned blue in one episode when she started hanging out with them.
All the points in the video are 👍 very well put together and I agree with it all.
I remember when I was kid I was like “ohhhhh they so black they blue”
thanks 4 this
I didn't know there were so many things wrog with this show
13:43 in what world is this straight hair?
You know I am having mass anger issues due to this show disney knows better
I like the older animation much better.
If I'm going to compare The Proud Family to any Nickelodeon Cartoons? They would have to be Invader Zim and Rocket Power. Those two cartoons brought up certain issues without too much preaching to the audiences at the time like it was trying to cater or pander to something. They just went with the usual slap stick humor and juvenile zeitgeist that was stereotyped in the kids at the time. Rocket Power just had multi-cultured kids hanging out with each other (learning lessons) because all the "going to the mall shows" were taken up, and Invader Zims' whole premise was kind of showing the dangers of treating a feud between young people as a joke.
16:56 this is why I’m glad cameras exist.
Really! Wow I always use ashy as in (your skin dry) Like I got ashy ass elbows. It’s true I do.
This whole comment section spoiled as fuck 😂🤣
Jesus, *Nubia*?! I had heard about this, but I didn't realize how bad it was. 😬
I’m ur 100th subscriber!
This is great
I know you have a valid reason to be paranoid but has it ocured to you that p.o.c People are not living breathing steriotipes and they can look any way?
And just because someones Main character has softer futures that doesn't make them a colorist or a racist?
It just means the characters came out that way because that is how the creators imagined them, because p.o.c people can and will have softer futures sometimes
We need good representation
I knew the show was colourist even as a child that's how obvious it was yet again Colourism is a huge problem in my country so it would be dumb of me not to realize
Why do you call it colorism isn’t colorism and racism just the same thing? I googled it and the definition kind of sounds same as racism, so I’m confused.
Because people in different races come in different shades. The darker people of non white races are considered ugly which is why it's colorism.
@@DionaTune oh ok, cuz I knew it was like racism but I didn’t know the key difference so thanks .👌
@@DionaTune That sort of falls apart when someone has to define what makes a racial category.
Yeah did u find it? This reaching is far asf
I hate stereotypes
Does any adult here actually base their feelings or thoughts of victimization on a cartoon? 🤣
No. She is saying that it's bad to tech this to children that dark skin and afro features are bad. Sorry that the video hurt you enough to feel the need to make this comment.
@@DionaTune hurt me? It's hysterical! Everyone is ok with cartoon characters either way because they are just drawings. Homer Simpson has a big beer belly, is fairly stupid and is not the ideal father. He's white trash. I don't know any white dads that feel victimized by that. There's a million types of characters on the TV but they are all just drawings made animated. I can get a general idea of what she's saying, but just like everyone else if you feel offended turn it off. Most programs these days are garbage and full of some type of indoctrination and serve no entertainment purposes at all. And nobody should let them be a reflection of their own self worth. Tired of our society acting so weak and sensitive and having to react to every little thing. The white character is the ugliest but again it's a cartoon. I think most people these days are snowflakes, grown up children always crying out "that's not fair, why do we get treated this way, I feel insulted," etc. Time to grow up and take pride in ourselves!
Hi! Genuine question. What is a White settler scholar? I don't really understand what that means.
Sure! This is a positionally statement where I intend to make clear my identity and positionally in relation to the text (The Proud Family), as well as the unceded Indigenous lands I live on.
By saying “white,” I am making clear that I am a White person, which I thought important to distinguish given that The Proud Family is very much a Black show.
By saying “settler,” I am acknowledging that the land I live on was occupied without permission; there were never any agreements or treaties that transferred the land from the Indigenous custodians to the colonizers who took the land form them.
By saying I am a scholar, I am indicating that I study film and media for a living.
@@criticalhit009 Oh! Thank you so much for breaking this down for me. I've never heard that term before. I appreciate your recognizing the important your racial identity can have on your view of the show. Just like how much was very influential in my viewing of the show. I really like that term. I like how it acknowledges our relationship to the land.
So, thanks for that! I learned something new!
I feel like y'all read into stuff too much lol
It's written by a BLACK MAN😡 That's why is based off a Willy Lynch How To💔 That's why Oscar is ALWAYS seen being " Emasculated" by his Dark Skin Mother and Highly Educated and High paid wife, who light bright with Honey eyes😭 Oscar is a STRUGGLE BUS BANDIT that BLACKISTAN LOVES to call a KANG 😭💔😂😂😂
Welcome my sister #divest
The new proud family is still just as colorist as it ever was. I watched two episodes , I'm done, don't need to see anymore.
This is a huge stretch lol
I never could watch it.
True mental gymnastics right here
This the most ill informed post only on here to support a self appointed ideal of someone ego. The definition given are so far disconnected this sounds like someone from the deep south written this who us europeans that trying to hold on to a scholarship at a HBC
Are you talking about the video?
17:21 well yeah, she’s Hispanic and not black, I don’t see why you put her in that category also, she’s not a friend of Penny.